Our guiding hand around Japan

As well as the Lonely Planet (thanks Felix) and Rough Guides, our train travel and sightseeing was made much simpler thanks to the Japan Guide and Hyperdia websites. The internet really is great!!

Not everything in Japan is miniaturised

Either the chair was big or the drink Cheryl had just consumed was equivalent to the 'drink me' potion that Alice had...

A hotel for 'Love'

We stumbled upon a number of these hotels - known as 'Love Hotels' - whilst trying to find a restaurant that had been recommended. Why anyone would want only 60/90/120 minutes sleep I don't know...

Transport in Japan

Our Japan Rail passes have done us proud. We saved over £100 each on rail travel. We could use it on JR ferries and tubes too. The trains are always on time and as people have to pay for reservations, they are always used. There are markings on the platform which tell you where to get on for your car and where to queue up.

We could use the JR Yamanote tube line on our pass which was especially handy when we stayed in Tokyo Bay. The tube map is a little more complicated than in London! Don't be fooled by the fact that stations are linked. We had to walk 1km from the entrance near our first Intercontinental hotel to the Maranouchi line whereas the Ginza line was the closest. There were four lines marked with two different names (one was Tameike-sanno), each at varying distances away. They are long subways but the alternative is walking by busy roads and junctions.

Gonpachi - our last meal in Tokyo

After the success of the last recommendation we decided to try another one. We'd been doing a spot of last minute shopping at Oriental Bazaar in Shibuya and hot footed it over to Gonpachi to refuel. The atmosphere in here is great - the tables were all reserved but we could get two seats at the counter to watch the cooking action.

We had sashimi, of course, plus two shrimp dumplings for starter. Check out the dumplings in the first photo, not quite what we expected - they are a bit like the hairy prawns you get in Yo Sushi. Followed by Cesar salad, black cod and rice. The yuzu mojito was divine so I had to repeat the experience (it tasted like intense tangerine). Another great recommendation.

While the going was good we checked out the bar upstairs which had an amazing view (as we were on the 15th floor) for another cheeky cocktail. The decor in Legato was atmospheric and the lamps looked cool when seen reflected in the window.

What a good finale to a fantastic trip.

Tokyo Bay

On our return to Tokyo we stayed in the Tokyo Bay Intercontinental. We didn't see much of the bay area but had a fab riverside view from our 24th floor room. And I used the massage chair they provided us with a couple of times :-) These photos are from the opulent reception and lounge area and there's one rather hazy view from our window the morning we left.

Oh for an All Raisin

We've only seen these on snowy mountains. Fortunately we have a little stash for when Rich gets peckish.